Lloris laughs off link

Hugo Lloris has laughed off the suggestion from his French teammate Oliver Giroud that he would be open to the possibility of joining Arsenal.

Media reports on the subject emerged this morning after the Arsenal striker appeared on French TV, with Hugo quick to dismiss the perhaps light-hearted invitation from his national team colleague.

"Yes I heard about that," smiled the goalkeeper. "I think maybe some words were twisted, but it is embarrassing. I don't think that, I'm very focused on Spurs' ambition and I am very pleased to play for Spurs.

"I have too much respect for the Club and the Spurs fans to think that kind of thing. Of course I know him very well because we are teammates in the national team - the same with Laurent Koscielny - but I am a Spurs player and I'm very proud to play here."

It has been mooted in recent transfer dispatches that Hugo is something of a hostage to Champions League fortunes, with his future supposedly shrouded in doubt if a top four finish is not secured.

While winning a place at European football's top table is a priority for everyone, Hugo points out that his motivation for joining was to perform in the ultra-competitive environment of the Premier League every week.

"When I joined Spurs it was because it is a very important club in England that has the ambition of playing Champions League football every year. Of course, the Premier League is the best league in the world where every week you play against very good teams.

"I think it is the most competitive league where five, six, seven or more teams can have the aim of finishing in the top four. I know there is a lot of speculation, but I just want to be focused about my job and my work. I just want to try and help the team get the best results and hopefully get a place in the next Champions League.

"You have to fight for that, especially in the Premier League, where it's very hard to finish in the top four because there are a lot of big clubs with big ambitions.

"We can compete for this and we will do everything to get a place," added the France captain, who believes he is part of a developing force at White Hart Lane.

"When you have ambition you must do everything to realise your objective. Everything is present in Tottenham to have a great future and the players must work every day to reach these goals. We are competitors, you want the best for your team, the best for your club. You want to win titles and it is a work in progress."